While the Jaguar is primarily a strike fighter, its new AESA radar, coupled with a good air-to-air missile, would provide it a formidable capability against attacking enemy fighters.

Currently, 60 Jaguars -- half the fleet -- will be equipped with DARIN-III and the EL/M-2052 AESA radar.

The Jaguar provides a remarkable story of how indigenous upgrades are cheaply modernising, and extending the life of, a foreign-origin aircraft.

In 1978, India signed a $1 billion deal for 160 Jaguars, manufactured by Anglo-French company, SEPECAT.

The first 40 aircraft, which were supplied in flyaway condition, came with an outdated navigation and weapon-aiming sub-system.

As HAL began manufacturing the Jaguar, an Indo-French co-development team began upgrading the avionics to DARIN.

From 1982, all Jaguars built at HAL had DARIN systems.

Buoyed by that achievement, the IAF and HAL decided in the 1990s to upgrade the DARIN. The result was the superb, entirely indigenous, DARIN-II, which guides the Jaguar blind, literally to the touchdown point on the runway.

"Even in Ambala's infamous winter fogs, when you couldn't see your hand if you extended your arm in front of you, the Jaguars were landing and taking off easily," says a new retired Jaguar pilot.

The 60-odd Jaguars with DARIN-II will continue to operate that system, while the other 60, which still have the original DARIN, will now be upgraded to DARIN-III.

The IAF is currently the world's only Jaguar operator.

IAF boss, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, stated in October that the upgraded Jaguars would remain in service for the next 15 to 20 years.